Bad Swing Slips Tiger at Nissan Open

DOUG FERGUSON

Published 7:00 pm, Thursday, February 20, 2003

AP Golf Writer

Tiger Woods was closing in on the lead Friday at the Nissan Open when one bad swing set off a chain reaction of trouble.

Barely able to see his ball in shin-high grass, Woods swung a sand wedge with all his might and watched the ball dribble about 6 inches. The best he could do from there was hack it across the seventh fairway into a bunker.

He wound up with a double bogey, but saw no reason to panic. All that did was turn a spectacular round into a satisfactory one.

"One bad swing cost me a couple of shots," he said. "Overall, I'm pleased with the way I played today _ real solid."

Despite a bogey on his final hole, Woods had a 3-under 68 on a calm, gorgeous day at Riviera Country Club to keep within sight of the leaders.

Fred Funk, whose 65 in the first round gave him a three-stroke lead, was among several players who had late starts. Funk was at 8 under through nine holes. Nick Price and Charles Howell III were among those trying to keep Funk from running away from the field.

Woods at least is in the hunt.

The Nissan Open is the only tournament he has played at least five times without winning, and it means even more since he grew up nearby in Cypress.

"This is where it all started for me," Woods said.

His game looked to be as sharp as ever, although at 2-under 140, he still has plenty of work left _ and plenty of top players in front of him.

One of them was David Duval, who played with Woods for the first two rounds and showed that there are all kinds of way to post a score.

Woods was nearly flawless except for the one bad swing on No. 7 and a bad break on No. 9, his final hole, that led to a bogey.

Duval was in the trees, in the rough, behind a waist-high picket fence high on a hill over the 18th green, but managed to get out of one jam after another.

He somehow finished with a 1-under 70 and was at 3-under 139, the best 36-hole score among the early group.

Word of his wild round spread quickly. Hours later while on the practice range, Pat Perez asked for permission to touch his wedges, then furiously rubbed them over his clothes.

"You're unbelievable," said Perez, who played behind the Duval-Woods group and saw just about every shot.

From the left rough on No. 15, Duval split the uprights of two tall trees to escape with par. After chipping through the green on No. 2, he chipped in from 30 feet on the fringe to save par.

His 2-iron on No. 4 stopped short in the fringe, and Duval holed a putt from 80 feet.

"I'm aiming at the fringe," Duval said. "I've only chipped in three times this week."

No wonder he's leading the PGA Tour in putting, despite having missed the cut in his first two tournaments this year.

Duval played on Saturday in those events _ Pebble Beach and the Bob Hope Classic _ because there was no cut until the final round. This time, he gets to return on Saturday with a chance to contend _ a rarity for him last year.

He finished 80th on the money list, a staggering fall for someone who had never finished worse than 11th since his rookie season.

"Dwelling on last year … it's not going to help me," he said. "Accept it for what it is. I had a bad year. I feel like I'll be playing like I am capable this year. I'm right there on the cusp."

Joining Woods at 2-under 140 were Hope Classic winner Mike Weir and Corey Pavin, who has a habit of playing well at Riviera.

Among those missing the cut were Sergio Garcia (73-76), while Colin Montgomerie (75-71) appeared headed for the weekend off in his first trip to the United States this year.

Woods, despite the double bogey, looked poise to make a serious run on the weekend. He was rarely off line and hit a variety of shots from the fairway to give himself plenty of looks at birdie.

"You have to play smart on this course," he said. "You can't hit drive on every hole and go find it. You've got to be a strategist around this golf course, and that's the fun of it."

Or, he could be like Duval and chip in from all over the place. At the end of day, the lowest score still wins.

Divots:@ Mark Calcavecchia had knee surgery earlier this week to repair damaged cartilage in his right knee. He hopes to return March 13 at the Honda Classic. Calcavecchia did not qualify for the Match Play Championship next week. … Matt Gogel made a hole-in-one with a 6-iron from 163 yards on the 16th hole. … Fulton Allem withdrew after a 79 in the opening round.